LPL Financial LLC Buys 20,260 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

LPL Financial LLC increased its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 33.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,332 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,260 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Natera worth $12,717,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its position in Natera by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $470,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Natera by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 998 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $158,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price objective for the company. Barclays started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim upped their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.12.

Natera Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NTRA opened at $143.20 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $158.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.29. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $19.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.36 and a beta of 1.80. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The business had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the sale, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 24,861 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $4,101,319.17. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 140,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,208,639.48. The trade was a 15.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 318,922 shares of company stock valued at $50,619,104. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.